The Washington critic., 1887-06-07
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Says yesterdays New York World:
Billy Florence, who Is Just back from
Europe, will have q jolly reception at
the hands OF his friends, regardless of
the fact that he was recently black:
balled OF the Union Club. ''The club
managers have perfect ight to choose
their own members, but they exceed
that right whom they declare that they
want no actors In the. club. Lester
Wallack Is q member of the Union.
Do the managers explain this, as John
Brougbam explained lWallack's ad.
mittance to Paradise, on the ground
thai they don't consider him au actor
But James w. Wallack was famous
tragediap, aud he was Union Club
member On the list are the Wander.
bilts, who own q theatre; Edgar Faw.
cett, who writes plays; Wright Sand,
ford who associates intimately with
actors, and Fred. Gebhard, who is en-.
gagged to marry an actress. Would the
Union Club managers undertake to ex.
clude Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett
and Joseph jefferson If they applied
for election? OF course, the line must
be drawn somewhere; but upon what
principle is 1t drawn ut Lester Wal.
lack
Fifty one years ago, says the Elmira,
N. Y, Adrertiser, when Martin Van
Buren was elected President, Hiram
Gray was chosen TO serve this district
in the Twenty, fifth Congress. The
New York delegation to that Congress
was a notable one. Millard Fillmore,
afterward President, then in the early
part of his Congressional labors, was o
member. Francis Granger, General
Harrison's Postmaster. General, ably
represented the Ontario District. Other
districts had efficient members. Four
of this New York delegation still
survive. Since retiring from Congress
they have lived active and honorable
lives, and now enjoy the esteem of their
fellow men. They are Judge Henry
A. Foster Of Rome, aged 81; Judge
Hiram Gray Of Elmira, aged 80 years;
Judge Richard p. Marvin Of James.
town, s5 years old, and Judge Amasa J..
Parker Of Albany, who was 80 years
Of age on Thursday. Mrs. J.V. L..
Pruyn, widow of Chancellor Pruyn
and daughter of Judge Parker, cele.
brated her fathers birthday by giving
o reception to these four venerable
survivors.
,sfx
The attention of quite number of
ladies has been called to the charge
that under the operations of the
present Civil. Service Commission there
has been q gradual decrease of the
female clerks employed in the depart.
ments here. An investigation shows
that the charge is undoubtedly correct,
but the causes ought to be laid far
away from the doors of the Commis.
sion. In times past number of female
clerks have secured promotions solely
upon their political and personal In.
fluence. A case in mind can be In.
+ s,anced. Under Secretary Folger's ad
ministration woman was promoted to
be an 81, 500 clerk simply because she
e came from the town of Geneva, where
Folger resided. The examination was
a perfect farce and the Commissioner
of Internal Revenue subsequently told
the Boston 1Tageller correspondent
that while he knew that there were
male clerks In his bureau who were far
more efficient than she, yet he dared
not push them forwad for fear of the
Secretary's dlspleasure. The female
clerk holds her Office to-day. The
chief reason for the gradual decrease OF
the number of female clerks can
be ascribed to certain cause. The
new bureau officials who were appointed
by President Cleveland seem to prefer
male to female clerks. Under the law
the Civil Service Commission is obliged
to furnish the names OF the four per.
sons who have passed the highest ex.
animation. A woman stands pretty
poor chance of being the lucky one
when her name comes to be considered
even If she did happen to pass the best
examination. Some of the bureau Of
ficials say that they prefer men because
they cause less trouble, and because
they arc not absent from their desks as
many days in year as the average
woman.